Saturday, May 31, 2008

The gift


Tranquility and time grace my kitchen windowsill. A wonderful friend gave them to me this week—from the minute she placed them in my hands, inner peace slowly surfaced. The “time” is actually thyme, spilling delicately over the sides of a stoneware container labeled “Tranquility.”

I was so tired the day S. stopped by—her thoughtfulness almost reduced me to tears…thankfully, I spared her that experience :) How did she know I needed that exact gift, at that exact moment? She literally yanked me from the stress abyss, providing breathing room from the edge.

In a few weeks, S. and I will be sitting poolside, watching our daughters’ swimming lessons, catching up on the past year. We rarely see each other during the school year, but spend four weeks every summer, talking incessantly for an hour a day. This has been our routine for the past five summers…a novel experience for me. I’ve never lived anywhere else long enough to share annual routines and long-term histories.

S. is petite, poised, beautiful…I’m the nature-girl counterpart. I covertly learn decorating and fashion tips from observing her…I doubt there’s much she learns from observing me! I learned another lesson this week…when you can’t see the edge from the abyss, good friends will always throw you a lifeline. Recognize it, treasure it, toss it back someday…

1 comment:

One-time runner said...

I'm glad you have good friends. That she was so kind makes me want to give her a hug too.